Farsley CC v Manningham Mills CC

Date: Saturday, July 25
Venue: Red Lane, Farsley
Weather: Fine and warm
Result: Manningham Mills won by 60 runs
Points: Farsley 5: Manningham Mills 17
Scores: Manningham Mills 159 all out: Farsley 99 all out

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One would have to delve back to the relegated haunted season of 2007 to find a worse display than this by Farsley against the bottom side Manningham Mills and a sun kissed Red Lane had little to cheer about other than the splendid weather after this sorry performance by the Red Lane side.

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Their eventual defeat was a result largely more indecisive batting and a season long lack of application by most of Farsley's top six but some uncharacteristic poor catching (two easy chances floored) and, after their early inroads, some lethargic bowling let the visitors' total 159 after two earlier scorelines of 30-4 and 83-6 and put the Rams well in the driving seat.

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Farsley went in to the game short of Gareth Phillips but also without Ashley Metcalfe who was missing the holiday through holiday but a side who had notched up 5 wins in their last 6 games ought to have been strong enough and confident enough to have beaten a visiting side looking for only their fourth win of their beleaguered season.

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Mills won the toss and decided to bat on a firm hard wicket and on a ground looking in tip top condition considering all the recent wet weather but were soon in trouble from the firery James lee from the club house end as opener Hussain lost his middle stump playing back to a straight full length ball, Mills 4-1. 'Enzo Ingram then made catching look easy when pouching number 3 batsman Islam, again off James lee, and mills were in trouble at 17-2 before Farsley's regular scorer had even arrived or the tea urn switched on.

Chris Henry then got in on the act by claiming his 37th League & Cup wicket of the season by pinning another unfortunate Mills batsman, LBW at 30-3 and then James claimed wicket number 4, and his own third of the afternoon, when a catch at cover point left the visitors on a miserable 30-4 and the Rams already looking good for a 7th League win of the season to go along side their recent Cup success.

Two fours of Henry's bowling and another smashed boundary off Jimmy took the visitors past the 40 mark when a straight forward slip catch to Aayaz went begging off Chris at 48-4 and when Aayaz came on to bowl for Jimmy soon afterwards another flashed boundary took Manningham Mills past the 50 mark. The visitors' score had moved to 60-4 after 20 overs and on to 70-4 when 'Enzo was introduced with his left arm spin at the club house end instead of Aayaz – so emphatic at Saltaire last week, but much less so today.

Once again over bowled Chris Henry, clearly tired, went for more runs as Mills went past 80-4 and into some respectability before 'Enzo, right on drinks, claimed Farsley's 5th wicket bowling Mills' number 6, found wanting in trying to sweep a fairly straight ball, 83-5. Straight after drinks 'Enzo got straight back in the act again with a fine long throw into Harry Anderson's gloves and over the top of the sticks which accounted for wicket number 6 and with 83-6 showing on Farsley's score box the Rams were back in charge of the game – or so it seemed.

18 year old young Joe Greaves had been introduced at the score box end by now but there was now a change of personnel behind the sticks when Harry Anderson left the field feeling unwell, skipper David Syers taking over 10 men Farsley. The score eased past the 100 mark as the Rams, to a man, tooktheir foot off the gas and some lethargic bowling and fielding took over as even a half pace James Lee joined in the general malaise amongst his team mates, Joe dropping a non too difficult caught and bowled amidst some untidy general cricket.

With 6 overs remaining Manningham Mills had taken their score to 140, Jamal and Shafique having shared a partnership of 60 runs in defiance of the Rams' earlier dominance but a wicket from Aayaz Akram bowling from the score box end eventually ended the alliance at 146-7 with 4 overs remaining.

Jimmy's return saw a change of fortune, a deflection off a hard return hit the stumps running out another Mills batsmen and then Aayaz brought off a quite stunning catch on the edge, again off James Lee, to reduce the visitors to 155-9. Lee then ended matters for the Rams by bowling their last batsman and both sides went to tea, Mills probably thinking an all out 159 would not be enough and Jimmy pleased with an afternoon's work in taking 5-48 from a marginally les than 15 overs. Farsley had rattled up their highest of the season of Manningham Mils back on May 9th, a total of 284-9 seeing off the then home side by 113 runs margin so a target of 160 for victory on another good Farsley track seemed well within the Rams' capabilities.

It would be charitable to write that what followed was merely a 'below par' batting display but to suffice to say that from a 39 for no wicket beginning the Rams slumped to 69-9 in less time than it takes to type this report and, apart from Lorenzo Ingram, no Rams player will be particularly proud of their batting surrender once the openers had departed.

Harpal and Barry Frankland opened Farsley's reply and did well enough in putting an opening partnership of 39 largely well worked runs but Barry's departure, LBW, then opened the floodgates as a succession of wickets tumbled at 48-2 (Harpal making a good 35), 54-3 (Shabbs departing at mid wicket), 56-4 (skipper Syers caught at short leg), 57-5 (Le caught and bowled and then 63-6 as Harry Anderson went clean bowled. Joe had a mad swish to be caught behind at 69-7 which then became 69-8 when Aayaz was bowled and Henry became a hat trick victim when he also lost the full complement of his 3 stumps to the very next ball, 69-9.

Lorenzo Ingram, at the other end to all this mayhem must have wondered what it was all about and it would be unfair to write that Mills' bowlers did not deserve praise for the way their frenzied appealing and shouting at every incident which occurs once the ball has left the bowler's hands and the umpires should either be applauded, or absconded, for putting up with it all.

Last batsman 'Bozza' Thornton, who bats with more calm and authority than some of his predecessors, and 'Enzo brought some sense to the proceedings in taking the score to 99 when 'Enzo was unluckily bowled, playing on, just when thoughts were being directed along the lines of a last wicket rescue stand which would have been, at least, on par with the one which the Rams undertook in beating Priestly Cup opponents Pudsey Congs not so long ago.

Zeeshan Qusim's hat trick in a fine 6-34 shift was the pick of the visitors bowling, albeit he will have to work much harder than in this game for any future similar returns and the Rams' defeat has drawn them back in to the relegation zone in view of the 3 sides below them all winning their games.

A brighter note for Rams fans was the sight of Farsley Legend Ray Illingworth back on the ground, looking well after his recent surgery, and again running the Red Lane raffle; the first prize a dinner for two being won by gates-man Peter Birkbeck to cries of 'fix' and 'fiddle'. Simply not so!!!!